Listening session slated for Kingman on Albertsons and Kroger merger

KINGMAN – Are you worried that the proposed merger of Kroger (Smiths) and Albertsons (Safeway) will negatively impact Kingman? Then Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wants to hear from you.

Mayes will be in Kingman to hold a listening session on Wednesday, March 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at Mohave Community College Room 240 in Building 200 on the west end of the MCC Kingman campus at 1971 Jagerson Ave.

It’s part of a series of listening sessions being held across Arizona to hear from families and workers in communities that could be particularly impacted by the proposed merger.

It’s also part of an anti-trust investigation that the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced in February.

“Hardworking Arizonans struggle daily to put fresh, healthy food on the table for their families and have already suffered through devastating price increases over the past year,” Mayes said in a news release.

“In addition to (the potential of) skyrocketing prices, the proposed merger raises questions about the potential for store closures that could force consumers to travel farther for groceries,” he added.

The merger could have a large impact in Arizona, where Kroger and Albertsons operate more than 250 stores combined.

Those stores employ over 35,000 Arizona workers, and account for almost half of Arizona’s grocery market sales, the AG’s office wrote.

“Thousands of employees will also wonder whether their jobs will still exist if the merger is finalized. And even if they remain employed, workers may have to worry whether their wages or benefits will decrease,” Mayes said.

Albertsons and Kroger announced the proposed merger in October, 2022. The companies stated that they anticipate closing the $24.6 billion deal by early 2024.